The use of corrugated cardboard containers for the transport of goods is well known. A wide variety of corrugated containers and associated spacing and insert materials have been developed over the years to provide inexpensive, durable and recyclable protective containers.
Among the many products which have been packaged and shipped in these types of containers are a wide variety of electrical storage cells and electrical storage batteries, and a number of different designs of containers for batteries and cells are found in the prior art.
In recent times, however, there have been substantial and important developments in battery technology. Among those developments is the invention and commercial success of the lithium ion battery. The cells of a lithium ion battery are rechargeable electrical storage cell in which lithium ions move between the anode and cathode. Typically, the lithium ion moves from the anode to the cathode during discharge and from the cathode to the anode when charging.
Lithium ion batteries have become popular in a wide variety of consumer electronics, due in large part to their high output to weight ratio. Lithium ion batteries also exhibit no “memory effect”, and retain a substantial portion of their charge when not in use.
However, lithium ion batteries and cells suffer from certain vulnerabilities, and unless appropriately used and stored, present certain dangers. In some situations, mistreatment of lithium ion batteries may cause them to burn or to explode. As a result of these hazards, the Federal Aviation Administration has expressed substantial concern about the carriage of lithium ion batteries as cargo on aircraft and has published rules that restrict the manner in which ion batteries may be transported on aircraft.
Lithium ion batteries are growing in popularity for use in automotive applications due to their high energy density. In automotive applications, individual lithium ion cells are often thin, planar structures that are square or rectangular in shape with electrodes which protrude from one end of the cell. For example, a typical automotive lithium ion cell may be approximately six inches wide, twelve inches long and one inch or less thick. During transportation, it is important that each individual cell be thoroughly protected above and below and around the perimeter. It is likewise important that the anode and cathode be protected from inadvertent short circuit.
As a result of the potential dangers associated with lithium ion batteries, it is important that such batteries be properly packaged for storage and shipment. The present invention provides substantial benefits in the art of battery transport and storage.